The “elite” of the so-called Christian world — who expect to go to heaven in the same coach in which they ride to church —would nev­er permit their favorite popular preach­er to pollute his precious person by acting as chaplain to a convict.

This editorial errs, as does ‘Laudato Si’, by presuming the claim that climate change is caused by man-made gases is based on solid science. It is not. None of the alarmist predictions based on this premise have happened. The earth has been warming irregularly since the last ice age.

School’s out and summer’s in full swing. That means the return of Oregon’s finest faith-filled college students, many of whom have spread their enthusiasm for the church across the country in diverse ways.Friday, July 21, 2017

St. John Paul II said the church breathes with both its lungs. By this, he meant the Western and Eastern Catholic traditions. The majority of Catholics the world over are Western or Latin rite, or “Roman Catholics.” However, there are 23 particular Eastern churches in full communion with the pope.

Having those pictures reminded me that everything wasn’t hard all the time. That sometimes we really like one another. That sometimes we can have fun together. That sometimes we are all pretty happy, even if we can’t look at the camera at the same time.Wednesday, July 19, 2017

I still have a lot to learn in this life, but I feel blessed to be given these brief moments when I can truly appreciate things like the dirt, the juice from a deliciously-ripe berry and the joy of a child.

We applaud health coverage for young undocumented immigrants. They need the help. Now we demand the same respect for the utterly distinctive and vulnerable human beings — who have unique DNA just hours after conception.Monday, July 17, 2017

St. Bonaventure says, in his little treatise "Bringing Forth Christ," "Seek the company of good people. If you share their company, you will also share their virtue." With this thought in mind, we used to pay close attention to who our children's friends were.

They were so honest and open and unadorned and not defensive and quietly haunted by what they dimly but truly knew to be small failures of honesty and mercy that I wanted to cup their faces in my hands and kiss their foreheads and hug them with all my might for their grace and character.Tuesday, July 4, 2017

The wheels have been in motion for more than a year in preparation for the October 2018 synod. Bishops, observers and other voices from around the world will gather to reflect about "Young people, faith and vocational discernment." This is definitely a most timely conversation.Monday, July 3, 2017

Getting into a political discussion in Washington these days is about as hard as finding a Fighting Irish fan at a Notre Dame football game. In the era of Trump — where those who dislike the president are as obsessed about him as his strongest supporters — the real challenge is extricating oneself from one.Thursday, June 29, 2017